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† the glass factory. †
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#£¤$†\»,,, several centuries after it had last ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, belonged to us, we went on an outing to ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, the glass factory that bore our family ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, name. it had changed owners many times ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, since our ancestors death, and then ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, stood abandoned for a long while. ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, finally, the natural end station for ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, the buildings that survive: a museum, ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, and a gift shop. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, there's a long time since my family ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, made anything. by many, we would be ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, considered poor. ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, there are two main factory buildings, ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, domed things of several floors, made in ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, reminescent of some cathedral. ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, custom-made glass, of course, large and ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, practical. on the eastern building, ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, some are shattered. ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, the other one is publicly open. there's ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, a museum, with wax figures of my great ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, great great grandfather, or something. ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, various tools (or replicas) laid out on ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, tables, with explaining texts. a lot of ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, glass of varying thickness. ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, †† ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, †† †† ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, †† †† ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, †† ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, other building. the contrast is ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, overwhelming. it must have stood ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, derelict for a long time, windows ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, broken, metallic trash and pools of ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, dark glass all over the floor. no ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, electric lights, but i can see by the ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, light that shines in wherever the dark ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, windows are missing a pane. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, however, the greatest difference is the ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, higher floors: this building has none. ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, it is one massive hall, stretching away ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, infinitely above me. somewhere up there ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, is some great iron latticework, from ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, where chains are suspended, and parts ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, of machinery has been falling down. ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, there is, in the middle of the great ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, hall, a thin spiral staircase that ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, leads up there. i sneak over there, and ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, take a few reluctant steps. after just ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, a revolution, i notice that for each ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, step the building starts to glow, the ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, bricks turning a dark red, and then ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, orange, all the piled up debree being ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, lit from behind. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, i stop ready to run down and out, but ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, there's someone else on the staircase ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, with me now, pressed close. he's ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, looking like me, short hair and thin ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, arms, but with ears from some animal, ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, and more disturbingly, completely made ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, of dark liquid glass. ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, †† ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, †† †† ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, †† †† ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, †† ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, my fear holds me in place while he ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, starts operating levers and dials set ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, in the center of the staircase. slowly, ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, it starts spinning, circling upwards. ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, it's an elevator! i start to run ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, downwards, but now the liquid boy ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, creature grabs hold of me. i try to ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, shake him off, but he's too strong, and ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, pulls me back up beside him. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, this time, i turn angry instead. what ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, the hell? who is this guy, acting like ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, this? i reach out my free arm and slam ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, a random lever. some metal bar is ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, suddenly released between us, hitting ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, him on the arm, forcing my release. i ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, shove him off of me, and he falls into ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, the levers, messing them up. ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, curtain is dropped around me. but the ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, elevator also speeds up significantly. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, the walls are flaring now, yellow, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, white, almost blue. i close my eyes and ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, curl into a ball. but then, the glass ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, boy screams, a piercing sound that ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, becomes too liquid, his body pooling ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, down in his now massive tail, and the ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, drop that falls toward the factory ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, floor. ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, keep his body upright. can't reach the ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, levers, claws at my chainmail cage, ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, while his body is turning into dark ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, pearls. finally, he's lost too much of ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, himself and the scream is cut short. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, the last of him rains down. ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, i still can't reach the levers from ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, within my cage. looking up, i try to ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, make out the ceiling, but it's all a ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, whirling sea of colours. below me glows ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, the hellfire of the factory walls, but ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, very faint. i sit down, curl back up, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, become still. ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, †† ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, †† †† ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, †† †† ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, †† ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, a large clunk shakes my entire body, ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, and snaps me back into reality. i'm ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, back at the factory floor, but the ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, stairs are still moving slightly, ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, clicking in place, carrying me the last ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, few centimeters. i came from below, ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, somehow. the chainmail is retracted, ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, and i slowly dismount the stairs. ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, shaking and crying, i make my way over ,,,,,»\†$¤
£¤$†\»,,,, the factory floor, wading through dark ,,,,»\†$¤£
#£¤$†\»,,, glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ,,,»\†$¤£#
##£¤$†\»,, i see there's something faint inside ,,»\†$¤£##
#£¤$†\»,,, them. embryos? are these eggs? ,,,»\†$¤£#
£¤$†\»,,,, ,,,,»\†$¤£
¤$†\»,,,,, i shudder, and climb back out. ,,,,,»\†$¤
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